May Update: Ojibwemowin Advisory Committee Meets

A mixture of elders/first speakers, teachers, and staff for Red Lake's Ojibwemowin Advisory Committee attended their monthly meeting at Oshki-maajitaadaa (New Beginnings) in Redby on Monday, May 11, 2015, from 3:30 until about 6:00 p.m.

The Ojibwemowin Council gathered round a four-sided table-group, including again, several residents of Jourdain/Perpich Nursing Home. The group gathers each month to develop additional language materials and teaching tools for Red Lake Head Start Ojibwe Immersion School.

This time they would translate "words and phrases related to school."

After an opening prayer by Elizabeth "Pug" Kingbird, immersion school Coordinator Elizabeth Strong opened the meeting with announcements and introductions. Moving clockwise, all present shared their name, clan, and home in Ojibwemowin, including the non-fluent speakers who are at various levels of learning the language. These learners can't help but digest more Ojibwemowin and culture from these lighthearted and cheerful elders. Perhaps half the meeting is spoken in Ojibwemowin.

Nate Taylor, Associate for Ojibwe Language Revitalization, introduced Muriel Dudley and Alyss Seki. The young women came to seek volunteers to advise in the development of cultural and language activities for the opening of the Red Lake Juvenile Facility. Several of the elders present volunteered to get involved as advisors for the new program.

Head Start lead teacher, Zac Mitteness then started things off with a simple game of charades. Each person was given a task to act out, for example, "eating corn on the cob," or "a slap on the butt." The tasks were relatively easy to act out, but in addition to guessing what was being acted out, the group would describe each task in Ojibwemowin. Not that one is ever needed, but it was a great icebreaker.

Mittness then asked for volunteers to participate in an activity of acting out words and stick figures on word/cards. One exercise got a laugh when "Pug" Kingbird demonstrated "cutting in line."

Next Taylor and Mittness led activities for two smaller groups to translate words/phrases or confirm the Red Lake dialect. It should be noted that some translations may differ slightly or even a lot, but because of the descriptive nature of Ojibwemowin, it will likely be understood, and so then may be of little concern. Ojibwemowin fluent speakers may understand different dialects and even other Algonquin languages.

Taylor, in his group, asked speakers to confirm Ojibwe word lists for use at Red Lake Nation College and Family and Children's Services.

For School Signage (abbreviated list)

Main Office = Naadamaagewigamig

Principal's Office = Ogimaawigamig

Health = Mino-ayaawin Gekenjigaadeg

Health Office = Aakoziiwigamigoons

Cafeteria = Wisiniiwigamig

Kitchen = jiibaakwewigamig

Music = madwewechigewin

Music Room = Madwechigewigamig

Art = mazinibii'igewin

Art Room = Mazinibii'igewigamig

English = Zhaaganaashiimowin

History = Gaa-izhiwebak Mewinzha

Gymnasium = Gagwejiiwiniwigamig

Gymnasium = basikawaadamoowigamig

Auditorium = Gichi-mawanji'idiiwigamig

Library = Agindaasoowigamig

Boys (Bathroom) = Gwiiwizensag

Girls (Bathroom) = Ikwezensag

Staff (Bathroom) = Enokiijig

Mitteness' asked his group about commonly used phrases spoken or heard by children in the classroom.

Inikaan = moving in a certain manner

Maamiigaanaa = I wrestle him for fun

Memeshkwadonamadabig = Exchange Seats

Niminjinawezi = I am disappointed

Practice Kindness = Gizhechigen

Welcome and Value Everyone" = Miigwech Bi-izhaayan Miinawaa Apiitenim Gakina Awiiya

A light supper was enjoyed before the group headed home.

The next committee meeting of the Ojibwe Language Advisory Committee will be June 8, 2015, from 3:30 to 6:00 p.m. at Oshki-maajitaadaa (New Beginnings) in Redby. One possible agenda item will be to ask about Lake Ceremonies, and stories. All are welcome to attend.

The words and phrases translated by the committee are being transcribed and will be made available, in the near future, to any and all...including Ojibwemowin dictionaries.... in order to document the Red Lake dialect.

Want to know how to pronounce these words? Listen to Red Lake Spiritual/Cultural Advisor Eugene Stillday and others pronounce these and other words and phrases at the following U of M link for the "Ojibwe Peoples Dictionary." http://ojibwe.lib.umn.edu

Afterword

Get Involved with Ojibwemowin and Cultural Revitalization in Your Community

The effort is part of the Head Start Immersion Classroom. Zac Mitteness is the lead teacher along with Marcus Tyler. Guiding elders, Frances Miller and Elizabeth "Pug" Kingbird, join them. The first immersion Head Start school classroom opened this past Fall with nine students. The school is behind Red Lake Elementary and meets on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday weekly from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The Ojibwe Language Revitalization Advisory Committee consists of First Speakers; Elizabeth "Pug" Kingbird, Frances Miller, Anna Gibbs, Susan Johnson, Mary Lou Stillday, Eliza Johnson, Murphy Thomas, Eugene Stillday, Donald Iceman, Sr., Violet Patterson, Arnold Kingbird, Lee Whitefeather, Carol Barrett and John Barrett, with more and more getting involved each meeting.

The group hopes to develop immersion school project partners, including a collaboration of skilled and fluent speaking community members. Partners would include the Red Lake School District, Head Start, and Red Lake Nation College.

The team meets monthly on the second Monday at Oshki-maajitaadaa, (New Beginnings). The Ojibwemowin Council of Elders invites any and all to get involved with Ojibwemowin Language and Culture Revitalization within the Red Lake Nation community! Get involved in this or one of the many other cultural projects in your community for a better Red Lake Nation.

The Red Lake immersion programs use the "double vowel" system as developed and presented in the Nichols/Nyholm dictionary. The double vowel system is used at Ojibwemowin immersion schools, public schools, and colleges across the country. It is the preferred spelling used in Ojibwemowin books.

Red Lake Nation Language Revitalization Plan, Vision and Mission

It is our vision that within 10 years Red Lake will have a younger generation of fluent speakers that promote the language and culture in our communities and act as leaders for the next seven generations. It is our mission to promote this vision through an immersion school as well as through a variety of other initiatives.